Double-duty drug

04.11.2010

Innsbruck – Cholesterol-lowering drugs widely used to prevent heart disease can also boost anti-cancer effect of interleukine-2 (IL-2) immune therapy. When added to tumour cell cultures treated with IL-2, statins dose-dependently co-activated specific Natural Killer cells (CD56dim NK cells) and induced tumour cell apoptosis. A team headed by Martin Thurner from Innsbruck University found that NK activation was mediated by two mechanisms (Cancer Res., doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-1968). First, inhibition of protein prenylation boosted production of caspase-1. Then statins induced production of the cytokines IL-18 and -1b, which are required for co-activation of NK cells. Until now, statins were believed to have a neutral effect on cancer growth (JAMA 295(1):74-80).

Vienna – Apeiron Biologics has entered into an exclusive option with the Cleveland Clinic to license a number of novel compounds that are currently in development there. The drug candidates are designed to fight cancer by...

Vienna/Hyderabad – Austria vaccine specialist Intercell AG and its Indian manufacturing partner Biological E. Ltd. have started enrolment of a Phase II/III study in children of 1-3 years of age for Intercell’s preventive vaccine...

Vienna/Hyderabad – Austria vaccine specialist Intercell AG and its Indian manufacturing partner Biological E. Ltd. have started enrolment of a Phase II/III study in children of 1-3 years of age for Intercell’s preventive vaccine...

Vienna – Austrian vaccine specialist Intercell has halted the development of its travellers’ diarrhea vaccine patch after the product failed in a Phase III trial. The company’s management says it will now align its structure to...

Vienna – Austrian Affiris AG has bagged EUR368.000 from the Michael J. Fox Foundation within the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative for completion of preclinical development of its PD01 vaccine against Parkinson’s...

Vienna – Boehringer Ingelheim has secured access to another promising antibody technology through a licence and development deal with Austrian f-star Biotechnologische Forschungs-und Entwicklungsges.m.b.H worth up to EUR1.26bn....

Austrian vaccine developer Intercell AG (Vienna) has a new Chief Business Officer. At the beginning of October, Staph Leavenworth Bakali quit Intercell’s supervisory board and joined its management board with key responsibilities...